Is the Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Associated With Increased Morbidity After Colorectal Surgery?

Area of Science:

• Colorectal Surgery
• Inflammatory Markers
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• Postoperative complications are a significant concern following colorectal surgery.
• Identifying patients at high risk for complications is crucial for optimizing surgical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between preoperative and postoperative neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and 30-day postoperative complications.
• To determine optimal NLR cutoff values for predicting complications.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1328 patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery (2010-2014).
• Inclusion of patients with preoperative and postoperative day 1 and 2 (POD-1, POD-2) NLR measurements.
• Identification of primary study outcomes as optimal NLR cutoff values.

Main Results:

• 39% of patients experienced at least one postoperative complication.
• Diabetes mellitus and NLR on POD-2 (≥9.2) were significantly associated with increased postoperative complications.
• Factors like sex, diabetes mellitus, diagnosis, operation type, and open surgery were associated with higher NLR.

Conclusions:

• Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) can serve as an additional tool for clinicians to identify patients at high risk for postoperative complications.
• Routine use of NLR may facilitate early intervention and improve the management of complications after colorectal surgery.